Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 -4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 cups chicken stock or 4 cups broth
• 1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
• 15 ounces tomato puree
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and finely minced (more or less, to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (i love chipolte chili powder in this recipe) (optional)
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (more or less, to taste, one recipe called for up to 1/2 cup)
• 4 teaspoons flour, more if you like a really thick soup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 lb cooked chicken, cut into bite sized pieces (cubed or pulled)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup fat free sour cream
• 8 ounces processed cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 10 (6 inch) corn tortillas (colored or yellow)
• fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)

Recipe

• 1 cut tortillas into 1/4 inch strips. deep fry or spray with nonstick cooking spray and bake until crisp. set aside.
• 2 saute oil, garlic and onion in large pan or dutch oven until soft.
• 3 add chicken stock or broth, green pepper, tomato puree, jalapeno, salt, pepper, sugar, chili powder, worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. bring to low boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
• 4 thoroughly mix flour and water, then whisk into soup. bring to a low boil, then continue simmering for 5 minutes.
• 5 stir in sour cream and cheese (more or less, depending on taste). heat to minimum 165f before serving.
• 6 ladle soup into serving bowls, pile tortilla strips into a "haystack" shape on top of the soup. garnish with freshly chopped cilantro.